The behavioral health future is a fundamental aspect of that overall vision. Today’s global challenges have made clear the need for professionals across the behavioral health prospect—including but not limited to both private and public insurers, care providers, employers, and government policymakers to innovate to better help the behavioral health needs of people throughout the world. Doing so could not only address a critical social challenge but also improve health care outcomes including reducing health care costs; and creating a healthier, happier, and more productive workforce.
According to Precedence Research, In 2022, the U.S. behavioral healthcare market is valued at $90.5 billion and is estimated to grow to in surplus of $130 billion by 2027. Certainly the involvement of digital technologies and increased funding to address behavioral health issues have driven the growth in this market.
The last few years have elucidated behavioral health. The de-stigmatization of behavioral health let patients feel more comfortable about seeking care from professionals. Further, investments have started to flow into this segment focused on growing access. Now more patients are seeking care than we have clinicians to provide for them creating notable backlogs and further pressurizing the healthcare system.
In the coming years with some improvements, the behavioral health industry can bring efficient and effective care and treatment to all those in need.
Switching focus from access to quality
The conversation will derive from access to care to quality of care. In the ever-growing telehealth delivery model, the virtual visits escalated during the pandemic, and experts agree that this approach will continue, especially in behavioral health. Healthcare professionals are now planning on how to assist telehealth moving forward, and ensure the quality of telehealth delivery as well in delivering patient outcomes as in-person visits.
To ensure high-quality care, behavioral health organizations increasingly depend on measurable data to track patient and population outcomes. Data, derived from evidence-based assessments, intake forms, including social determinants of health insights, are conclusively what will inform clinical and operational executives if their programs and treatment plans are working. This information is also crucial in finding how to make essential improvements to deliver the most effective and efficient care.
Providing high-quality care starts and ends with data. In 2022, behavioral health providers will both collect and utilize data in new ways to help drive the quality of care.
Progress toward value-based care
Value-based care models focus on patient outcomes rather than on services or visits. Unlike the traditional fee-for-service model, value-based models align payer and provider is encouraged towards well care rather than sick care. Under this model, the focus is on quality and outcomes performance rather than patient/member utilization of services.
Payers aim to build and support behavioral health provider networks that provide access and high-quality care to their members. Because behavioral health co-morbidities have been linked to higher medical costs, the need to improve the behavioral health of members is of the utmost importance.
Providers know that they can track patient progress and outcomes with objective measurement data to show to payers the improvement they are making with their patient populations. They use the data as a critical asset in negotiating value-based contracts with their payers as well as provide greater clarity and arrangement.
The year 2022 to 2025 will bring in defined milestones and clear progress toward value-based care in behavioral health. There will be more tests and programs of value-based reimbursement arrangements between payers and providers. There is also a prediction that there will be a dramatic increase in value-based contracts in the coming years. The traditional fee-for-service model won’t disappear, but there will be thoughtful maneuver of reimbursement programs that reward providers for quality of care and clinical outcomes.
As stated previously, two shifts are expected to happen to overcome the current dilemma:
- Expand access to care for those who need it
- Improve clinical outcomes for those that are suffering
Attaining these two goals is crucial to address behavioral health crises, but neither of these shifts can occur without establishing care in evidence-based data. It’s not a complicated idea. We have to provide more people with access to care and implement the most efficient and effective treatments for quicker patient recoveries.
The pace of change for the future of behavioral health has accelerated, which has also unveiled the extent of the problems. Industry participants will take advantage of the trends to develop solutions and business models that can markedly transform and improve behavioral health challenges. It may generate value on multiple levels.
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